Chapter 19
The days went by quickly. On the day they had their first snow, the court sentenced Simone, who was charged with theft, murder, and other severe crimes, to six years in prison When Preston was informed of the news, he was completely intoxicated. He could not be bothered with what happened to Simone.
For the last six months, he had been drowning himself in alcohol. There was rarely a moment where he was fully conscious.
No one managed to persuade Preston to stop drinking. Every time he got drunk, Preston would start mumbling Jolene’s name. His friends would exchange glances, yet none of them dared contact Jolene.
More specifically, none of them had the nerve to tisk upsetting Cedric.
After all, the reporters had managed to take photos of the couple enjoying their honeymoon abroad on several occasions. The two of them looked perfectly happy as a newlywed couple
As New Year’s Day was drawing closer, Cedric and Jolene ended their honeymoon trip and traveled back home to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.
On New Year’s Eve, a radiant–looking Cedric announced some wonderful news during the Norwoods‘ family party.
“Jo is pregnant. The doctor said that she’s carrying twins.”
While others congratulated the couple, Preston smashed his glass in a fit of temper.
Everyone turned their gazes toward Preston almost simultaneously. With a pale face, he mustered all his strength and muttered “congratulations” through clenched teeth. Every second felt unbearable after that. After around ten minutes, Preston came up with an excuse and left the place.
That night, he did not sleep, nor did he drink. He just sat in a corner and reminisced about the past.
The white light from the incandescent lamp illuminated the room. Meanwhile, Preston stared blankly at the gifts he had received from Jolene that were stored in a cupboard.
A bottle of 999 paper stars that Jolene had folded herself when she was ten. A special figurine Jolene had spent more than two weeks putting together when she was 16. A set of brooch and cuffs she had personally designed when she was 20…
The corners of Preston’s eyes slowly turned red as he looked at those items.
Every part of his being seemed to be aching terribly. Preston felt as though his heart was being gripped tightly by a pair of hands, making it hard for him to breathe.
He covered his face with his hands. Tears spilled through the slits between his fingers and wet his sleeves.
It was at that moment Preston finally understood what people meant when they said they only learned how to appreciate something after losing it.
Although the children in Jolene’s womb were only three months old, Cedric had already started working on picking their names for them.
He had listed more than ten names, boy and girl names included. Cedric even noted down their respective nicknames before showing the names to Jolene.
Jolene put down the parenting and childcare book she was holding. One of the names caught her eye at first glance.
She picked up the piece of paper and stared at the name “Clarissa” on it. Tears welled in her eyes.
“Why did you choose this name?”
Cedric had no idea why Jolene suddenly looked so sad. Still, he put his arms around her and tried to offer her words of comfort. “Is it a bad name? We won’t use it, then. You can take a look at the other names.”
Cedric was about to take away the piece of paper to discard it, but Jolene stopped him. She put the paper over her chest. Her eyes were bright with tears as she smiled.
“No. Let’s go with this name. One of the twins will definitely be a girl. We’ll name her Clarissa.”
Jolene sounded extremely convinced. Cedric lifted his hand and wiped away the tears from the corners of Jolene’s eyes. Then, he held out another piece of paper.
“Alright. We’ll name the other child Jamie, then?”
Jolene finally noticed something strange at that point.
Clarissa Norwood was the name her daughter had in Jolene’s previous life, and Louis had chosen the name.
Yet, after seeing the two names Cedric had come up with, Jolene finally realized that it was probably Cedric who had suggested the name “Clarissa” in her previous life.
She recalled visiting Louis at the Norwood residence with Clarissa a month after her delivery in her last life. Cedric, who spent most of his time abroad, happened to return home at the time.
Jolene ran into Cedric by the front door when she was leaving that day. She was about to leave after offering her greetings, yet Cedric suddenly called after her.
“You’ve brought the child here alone? Where is he?”
Back then, Preston was still devastated by the news of Simone having gotten married. He would drink himself into a stupor every day. Jolene could hardly find him during thes days.
She felt sad and bitter about it. Still, Jolene had to cover up for him. “He’s been busy lately. I don’t want to interfere with his work. So, I came here alone.”
Even after all these years, Jolene could still remember the look in Cedric’s eyes as he gazed at her. His eyes were dark and cloudy. She could also see the hurt in his eyes.
Jolene could not understand why Cedric had that look in his eyes back then. She was filled with mixed feelings as she thought about it now.
In her past life, Jolene had the blind courage and determination to keep trying to achieve her goals. On the other hand, Cedric was an expert in concealing his true feelings. That was how the two of them missed out on each other for so many years.
